After sitting quiet throughout the first round of the NHL draft Friday, the Blackhawks took two big swings Saturday morning as the draft resumed.
Here’s a breakdown of every Hawks pick from Day 2 of the draft:
No. 34: Xavier Villeneuve, defenseman, Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)
It seemed likely the Hawks would target a defenseman early in the second round, and they did just that with Villeneuve, one of the consensus top prospects still available after the first round.
The Quebec native is unquestionably a first-round talent, but his diminutive size — 5-11 and 164 pounds — evidently scared off teams in that range. The Hawks were willing to gamble on his upside.
“The skill set I have is pretty rare, without being too cocky,” Villeneuve said.
He has been optimistically compared to young Canadiens star Lane Hutson, another left-handed shot, throughout the draft process, and Villeneuve believes in that comparison. He’s headed to Boston University next season — after averaging more than a point per game the last two seasons in the QMJHL — hoping they can develop him just like they developed Hutson.
He’s quick and elusive on skates, and combined with his high-level hockey sense and vision, he’s difficult to contain. He did miss several months with a hip injury this year. He thinks he’s not done growing, which would be welcome news if true.
No. 35: Ryan Roobroeck, left wing, Niagara (OHL)
The Hawks traded up from No. 37 to No. 35, giving the Devils their fourth-round pick to do so, and subsequently selected the controversial and mercurial Roobroeck.
Last summer, Roobroeck was considered a possible top-10 pick in this class, but he disappointed with Niagara this season and fell down rankings. He will play for Guelph in the OHL next season.
Rooebroeck’s pluses are enticing: he’s big (6-3 and 210 pounds), a decent skater for his size and a great shooter. But his minuses are worrying: his work ethic and compete level are inconsistent and he doesn’t utilize his size as much as he could.
He’s another high-risk, high-reward prospect, but the Hawks can accept that considering how robust their forward prospect pool is.
No. 66: Samu Alalauri, defenseman, Pelicans (Finland)
Alalauri is somewhat difficult to evaluate since he has only played junior hockey in Finland and in international tournaments so far. The 6-2, 220-pound right-handed defenseman is balanced both offensively and defensively.
But he’s headed to UMass next season, which should be illuminating. He’ll play with fellow Hawks prospect Vaclav Nestrasil there.
No. 194: Alexander Ivanov, defenseman, Ak Bars Kazan (Russia)
No. 200: William Sorbrand, center, Timra IK (Sweden)